Fabrizio, who served as Dole's chief strategist in 1996, more recently worked for Gov. Rick Scott in 2010 -- along with Warfield and Anderson.

A source with knowledge of the campaign tells NBC News that Allbaugh "has been quietly helping for some time" with Perry's strategy.

It's unclear what the campaign additions mean for the existing tight-knit staff of Perry loyalists in Austin, but the beefed-up team sends a signal to donors and potential backers - especially in Rick Scott's home state of Florida and the site of Perry's debate Waterloo -- that the Texas governor is willing to assemble a formidable national campaign.

One fundraiser for Perry called the move "necessary and encouraging" and said that calls for the campaign to add more veteran professional pols increased after Perry's poor performance in the Presidency 5 events in Orlando in September.

"Wish it had happened a month ago," the person said.

The news of the staff additions came on the same day as reports that Perry will launch TV ads in Iowa beginning tomorrow. A Perry source confirmed that ads in the state are forthcoming but could not offer details on the timing of the launch.

A spokesman for Perry declined to comment on either the staff changes or the ads, saying that the campaign does not "discuss strategy."

Warfield was Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign spokesman and more recently a consultant to candidate Fred Thompson. Curt Anderson worked as a strategist for Steve Forbes in 1999 and served as the political director of the Republican National Committee under Haley Barbour.